Biography

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NOMINATED FOR A 2022 BLUES BLAST MUSIC AWARD!

"A purity of purpose that goes to the very heart of country blues." - Living Blues Magazine

"Lovers of old-school blues can rejoice...this lovingly remastered effort shines like a diamond." - Blues Blast Magazine

"A real back room, after hours feeling" - The Midwest Record

"Old-school Chicago blues at its best." - Chicago Blues Guide

"Oscher shows the breadth of his command of four different instruments and sings on all tracks. It’s his versatility and the low-down purity of the blues that are the major takeaways." - Making A Scene

"Paul Oscher plays the soul I feel" - Muddy Waters

As a teenager in the 1960s Paul Oscher joined the Muddy Waters Blues Band, being the first white musician to join a black blues band of Muddy Waters' stature. His harp work with Muddy Waters influenced a generation of harp players, from J. Geil's Magic Dick to Eric Clapton's Jerry Portnoy. As a multi-instrumentalist and solo artist Oscher earned multiple W.C. Handy and Blues Music Awards.

Paul Oscher tragically succumbed to Covid-19 in April of 2020. This 30th anniversary re-master of a unique, classic recording of Oscher with Muddy Waters alumni Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, originally released in 1992, is in memory of his great talent.

Credits:
Produced by Louis X. Erlanger

Paul Oscher - Vocal, Harp, Guitar, Piano, Accordion
Pinetop Perkins - Piano
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith - Drums

1. Iodine In My Coffee (3:58) (Featured Track)
Oscher, voc, guitar & neck rack harp; Pinetop, piano.

Songwriters: McKinley Morganfield
Publisher: Watertoons

2. Wee Wee Baby (3:38) (Featured Track)
Oscher, voc, piano; Willie Smith, drums

Songwriter: Joe Turner, Pete Johnson
Publisher: MCA, Inc.

3. Debra Lou (3:15)
Oscher voc, guitar, neck rack harp

Songwriters: Paul Oscher
Publisher: Velma Jean Music

4. Connonball Rock (2:07)
Oscher, harp; Willie Bridges, sax; unknown bass

Songwriter: Traditional
Publisher: Public Domain

5. Downtrack (5:04)
Oscher, voc, piano; Willie Smith, drums

Songwriter: Paul Oscher
Publisher: Velma Jean Music

6. Sloppy Drunk (2:08)
Oscher, voc, guitar, neck rack harp

Songwriter: John Lee Williamson
Publisher:

7. Louis Collins (2:54)
Oscher, voc, accordion

Songwriter: John Hurt
Publisher: Wynwood Music

8. Liza Jane (1:30)
Oscher, voc, harp

Songwriter: John Hurt
Publisher: Wynwood Music

9. John Henry (1:59)
Oscher, slide guitar; Pinetop, piano; Willie Smith, drums

Songwriter: Traditional
Publisher: Public Domain

10. B & O Blues (4:08)
Oscher, voc, guitar, neck rack harp

Songwriter: Joe Turner, Pete Johnson
Publisher: Tradition / Bug

11. Mississippi (2:46)(Featured Track)
Oscher, voc, guitar; Willie Smith, drums

Songwriter: Paul Oscher
Publisher: Velma Jean Music

12. Make Me A Pallet (3:01)
Oscher, voc, guitar

Songwriter: Traditional
Publisher: Public Domain

13. Blues Before Sunrise (5:26) (Featured Track)
Oscher, voc, piano; Willie Smith, drums

Songwriter: Leroy Carr
Publisher: MCA Inc.

"Paul Oscher plays the soul I feel" - Muddy Waters

As a teen in the mid-1960s, Brooklyn-born Paul Oscher joined the Muddy Waters Blues Band, taking the harmonica slot formerly held by the great Little Walter and James Cotton. The blues was mostly played in black clubs and juke joints, and Oscher traveled the U.S. chitlin’ circuit with Muddy, while gradually mastering piano and guitar looking over the shoulders of the acknowledged greats of the blues Otis Spann, then Pinetop Perkins on piano, and Muddy Waters, Sammy Lawhorn and Luther "Snake" Johnson on guitar. Oscher remained with Muddy Waters through the early 1970s, recording a number of albums with Muddy, as well as with Louisiana Red, Johnny Young, and other top blues artists.

Paul Oscher's harp work influenced a generation of harp players, from J. Geil's Magic Dick to Eric Clapton's Jerry Portnoy. As a solo artist he earned multiple W.C. Handy and Blues Music Awards, and is in the New York Blues Hall Of Fame. Oscher's mastery of the blues is not limited to the harp. This unique recording evokes a myriad of his influences and highlights Oscher on harp, guitar, piano and accordion, while pairing him with two of his favorite musicians: Muddy Waters alumni Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. It is the unadulterated lowdown blues. Rough stuff.

Paul Oscher tragically succumbed to Covid-19 in April of 2020. This 30th anniversary re-master, originally released in 1992, is in memory of his great talent.